Method of treating used bags



Patented Dec. 31, 1940 PATENT orifice 2,226,855 METHOD or TREATING USEDBAGS GeorgeV I. Gol'dwyn, Chicago, Ill., assignor Yto Georgel..Goldwynand Herman Goldwyn, bothA of Chicago, Ill., copartners doingbusiness under the name and style of Goldwyn Brothers ApplicationFebruary 11, 1939, Serial No. 255,901

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in used bags andthe method oftreating the same and it consists of the matters herein-after describedyand more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Y

Theused bags with which the present invention is more especiallyconcerned, are bags made of textile material such as burlap and havingcharacters printed upon one or more of the outer surfaces of the wallsthereof.

In 'many instances new burlap bags are printed in soecalled burlap bagink with certain characters upon at least the outside of one of thewalls thereof and which characters generally denote the contents of thebag,v the nameof the manufacturer and original shipper; and usuallycertain grade and trade marks. Oftenvafter one use, such bags weredisposed of and heretofore were not again used a-s bagsin commerce.

In many instances such used bags' were capable of reuse without patchingor darning but the trade would not accept them because of the charactersshowing thereon. When such used bags required cleaning, patching orother operations, fitting them for reuse, they were turned inside outand then rebound along two margins and thereafter reprinted withcharacters to suit the requirements of the purchaser. However, used bagsare -sometimes capable of even a third and a fourth reuse as bags incommerce but the char-` acters appearing on the bag detracted' fromtheirsalability. The use ofsuch bags with legible characters thereon might beconsidered Ias unfair in a competitive sense by the original purchaserand user of the bag and would be otherwise objectionable.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple,efficient and economical method of treating used printed bags, byrendering the printed characters thereon illegible without requiringturning the bag inside out.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of treating bagswhich consists in printing over that area containing the characters, anopen work design which coacts with said characters in producing aVariegated composite arrangement of characters and design which makesthe characters substantially illegible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a used bag havingcharacters thereon which have 'been rendered illegible by theoverprinting of an openwork design thereupon.

The above mentioned objects of the invention, as well as others,together with the advantages l(Cl. 101-426) thereof will more fully tionIproceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a View in elevation of a burlap bag having characters thereonand which may be treated in accordance with one phase of the in- Ventionto render said characters -substantially illegible without turning thebag inside out.

Fig. 2 is `a fragmentary view in elevation on an enlarged scale, showinga portion of the bag after treating the same to make the characterssubstantially illegible.

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary'view in elevation on a further enlarged scale,showing one form of open work design which when overprinted `upon a bagwall having characters thereon, efficiently coacts with said charactersin producing a Variegated composite of characters and design that makesythe characters substantially illegible.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on a further enlarged scale throughone of the Walls of a burlap b ag treated in accordance with the in-Vention, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 ofFig. 2.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustratedin the drawing, 5 indicates asa whole, a used bag originally made from astrip of burlap folded upon itself and stitched along two right angledsides as at 6. Such a bag which is open at the topy and closed along thebottom and both sides, includes front and rear walls 'l and 8respectively.

New bags of this kind are usually printed uponl one wall to suit theoriginal purchaser and shipper with" characters 8 denoting the contentsand other matters relating thereto, as well as firm name, grade andtrade marks. Such characters are usually arranged in horizontal linesacross the bag .wall and within a certain area of said bag wall andwhich area is indicated by the dotted rectangle I0 in Fig. 1. In someinstances certain of the characters are printed in different colors asappears in Fig. 1 and the ink employed in such printing is known asburlap bag ink.

After the original use, in many instances, a bag will remain in suchgood condition that it is capable of reuse, but it is not favorablyreceived by purchasers and users of used bags. The reason therefor isthat the appearance of said characters 9 upon said bags may beconsidered as unfair practice in a competitive sense. Also suchcharacters are otherwise objectionable.

When such bags are torn or worn, certain establishments reclaim the sameby turning the bags inside out and cleaning them, patching,

appear as the specificadarning and often rebinding the same. When turnedinside out, in many instances the char- However, when the discarded usedbag is in good condition, when treated in accordance with one phase ofthenvention, which does not require that the bag be turned inside out,the characters are rendered illegible by what I term an overprinting ina, manner other than by the use of a solid blockout over the entire areaoccupiedby said characters.

In accordance with one phase ofthe invention,

I overprint upon the area I0, an open work de-A sign embodying element-sso arranged as to require only about half the ink necessaryA for a solidblock out of said area and which design elements are of suchconfiguration as to coact with the characters themselves in producingtherewith a variegated composite which renders said charactersundecipherable and substantially illegible and indeed to produce aneffect making it almost appear as though the bag did not containobliterated characters.

In Fig. 3 I have shown an open work design in the form of a checkereddiamond arrangement wherein there are intermediate and alternatevertical and horizontal rows of diamond shaped design elements II andI-2 respectively. The elements in the rows I2 are left devoid of inkexcept for the use of a sub-element I3, printed in the same color as themain ,body of the elements I I. Preferably each sub-element has-a shapedifferent from that of t-he design element in which it is centrallylocated. A star shape serves exceptionally well for the sub-element asits outlines are arranged at many different angles to the outlines ofthe characters' upon which the design is superposed by overprinting.

'I'he elements I I, as here shown, are each made in solid color exceptfor a sub-element I4 which is blank or devoid of such color. Suchsub-elements likewise are made starY shaped and arranged centrally inassociated design elements I I. It is apparent that with such an openwork design disposed upon a certain area,- that only onehalf the ink isrequired to produce that design covering said area as would be requiredfor a solid block out covering said area. It is preferred that the coloremployed for said design be black as black has the best covering.quality and costs less than other colors in burlap bag ink but othercolors having good covering characteristics may be used if desired.

Fig. 2 shows the design of Fig. 3 overprinted upon the Iarea III so thatin part it is superposed upon the characters 9. By reason of the diamondshaped design elements, with the star shaped sub-elements and by thealternate and intermediate row arrangement mentioned, it is apparentthat the outlines of said elements and sub-elements are substantiallyall in non-parallel relation with respect to the outlines of thecharacters so that the outlines of said elements and subelements coactwith the lines of the characters in producing a variegated compositearrangement which makes t-he characters completely broken up andundecipherable and substantially illegible and wherein they cannot bereadily disassociated from the design. I-Ience the lettering appearspractically as a part of the design'.

Such an overprinted bag, if desired may be reprinted with othercharacters upon the opposite side wall of the bag, according to thedemand of the purchasers for reuse in commerce and after reuse by saidpurchaser may again be overprinted as beforeand used for othercommodities in commerce;

By the improved method the bag may be overprinted for reuse at leastthree times afterthe original use and therefore the usefulness or lifeof the bag is materially increased.

The improved method of treating the'used bags is economical in the useof ink and makes it possible tov obtain more use from bags heretoforeconsidered only as waste. g

While in describing the invention I have referred in detail to the formand arrangement of certain parts and steps and sequence thereof, thesame is to be considered only in the illustrative sense so that I do notwish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth inthe appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of supercially obliterating indicia on printed bags andthe like comprising imprinting on the said indicia an open work designhaving alternate blank and colored areas with the colored areas havingblank centers and the blank areas having solid centers.

2. The method of treating bags having characters disposed upon an areaof one side of the walls thereof, which consists in applying a coloringmaterial in the form of an open work design having alternately coloredand blank sections to portions of said area so that it coacts with saidcharacters in producing a varlegated composite arrangement of coloring`material and the characters, the characters showing through the blanksections ofthe design and rendering ther characters substantiallyillegible.

3. The method of treating bags having indicia disposed upon an area ofone side of the walls thereof, which consists in superciallyobliterating said indicia in part and comprising imprinting an open-Workdesign composed in part of coloring material and in part of blank areas,portions of the indicia being visible at least in. part in the blankareas of the design, thereby cooperating with the design in producing avariegated composite rendering the` indicia substantially illegible.

GEORGE I. GOLDWYN.

